City of Corona
Staff Report
400 S. Vicentia Ave.
Corona, CA 92882
File #: 22-0594
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 07/06/2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Services Department
SUBJECT:
Fiscal Year 2023 Community Based Organization Grant Program Funding Recommendations.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Community Based Organization Grant Funding Program is a program to support local non-profit organizations that have suffered impacts are a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible nonprofits include those that offer direct services to Corona residents, which align with the City’s Strategic Plan, but are not offered by the City of Corona. The grant awards are made possible by American Rescue Plan Act funding. The City Council will review and approve the funding allocation for Fiscal Year 2023 RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council review the options below and fund the Community Based Organizations using option one or option two:
Option 1
Approve the Fiscal Year 2023 Community Based Organization funding recommendations consisting of $166,650 for programs and services, listed in the attachment to the staff report.
Or,
Option 2
Award all qualifying applicants at 100 percent of their requested amount up to a maximum of $25,000 each, accelerating the program and expending funds from years one and two in the first year for a total of $374,500.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City of Corona is committed to serving its residents in partnership with local non-profit agencies.
The Community Services Department administers multiple grant programs including the Community City of Corona Page 1 of 9 Printed on 6/30/2022
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The Community Services Department administers multiple grant programs including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the City’s Co-Sponsorship Program. The Community Based Organization (CBO) Grant Funding Program is unique in that its structure is temporary, per the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding guidelines. The City Council approved the Community Based Organization (CBO) Grant Funding Program application on February 16, 2022 and set the minimum funding award at $2,500 and the maximum award not to exceed $25,000 per organization per funding cycle. The City Council also approved a proposed initial funding allocation to disseminate the funding from this program over three years as shown in the chart below:
ARPA Funding Allocation Schedule
YEAR AMOUNT
Fiscal Year 2023 $166,666
Fiscal Year 2024 $166,667
Fiscal Year 2025 $166,667
ANALYSIS:
CBO Funding Program Process
Outreach
Following the City Council’s approval of the City’s Community Based Organization (CBO) Grant Program in February, City staff conducted the initial outreach and performed a social media push in early March 2022. To encourage more applicants, the initial deadline of April 14th was extended to May 12. The outreach included notices that were emailed to the City’s non-profit email distribution list of roughly 300 local organizations. City staff also sent additional emails specific to current Historic Civic Center (HCC) tenants. In addition, other outreach efforts included social media posts and the development of a webpage with information about the newly created CBO Grant Funding Program.
Funding Award Requests
Parameters were set for the funding award requests. As directed by Council, the minimum funding for qualifying organizations is set at $2,500 with the maximum award of $25,000 per organization.
During this cycle, grant funding requests from organizations ranged from as low as $10,000 to a single application of $37,800, which exceeded the maximum approved funding request of $25,000.
Previously, the City Council authorized $166,666 of available funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023.
Recipients and project details are outlined in the attachment to this staff report.
Twenty-three agencies submitted applications for grant funding totaling $468,300 as seen in the table below:
Agency Name Program FY 2023 Request
ABC Hopes, Inc. Extra Innings Program - Fill gaps in high unemployment rates faced by intellectually disabled individuals
$25,000
Christian Arts and Theatre (CAT) Royalty/rental costs for major stage productions for 2022 and 2023 $25,000 Circle City Chorale Fund performances and restore the Circle City Children's Choir - Increasing arts awareness and musical education in Corona
$25,000
Congregation Beth Shalom of Corona Kristallnacht Educational Program for Students through Corona-Norco Unified School District
$20,000
Corona Art Association Update and improve gallery and teaching space inside the Historic Civic Center $10,000 Corona Friends Church Food Distribution Program - Providing free non-perishable foods to Corona students and neighbors in need
$14,000
Corona Historic Preservation Society Replace vandalized and demolished historic site marker #5 design, fund and place historic site markers at multiple locationsrestoration of Corona Historic District 10 $12,500
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Agency Name Program FY 2023 Request
ABC Hopes, Inc. Extra Innings Program - Fill gaps in high unemployment rates faced by intellectually disabled individuals
$25,000
Christian Arts and Theatre (CAT) Royalty/rental costs for major stage productions for 2022 and 2023 $25,000 Circle City Chorale Fund performances and restore the Circle City Children's Choir - Increasing arts awareness and musical education in Corona
$25,000
Congregation Beth Shalom of Corona Kristallnacht Educational Program for Students through Corona-Norco Unified School District
$20,000
Corona Art Association Update and improve gallery and teaching space inside the Historic Civic Center $10,000 Corona Friends Church Food Distribution Program - Providing free non-perishable foods to Corona students and neighbors in need
$14,000
Corona Historic Preservation Society Replace vandalized and demolished historic site marker #5 design, fund and place historic site markers at multiple locations, restoration of Corona Historic District 10 wooden highway barricade
$12,500
Corona-Norco Family YMCA YMCA Aquatic Programming and Swim Lessons $25,000 Corona-Norco Settlement House Repair and Maintenance to 507 S. Vicentia Ave., Corona $37,800 Corona-Norco United Way Domestic Violence (DV) Program - Providing direct services to victims of domestic abuse in the community; DV prevention education to youth $25,000
Covenant Life Christian Fellowship Christmas Toy Giveaway Program $25,000 Crystal Roses, Inc. Comfort Totes/Man & Youth packs for Cancer Patient Support - Providing practical items to help navigate treatments and side effects
$10,000
Firecrackers Marez dba So Cal Rebels Circle City Showcase Tournament for June 2023 at Butterfield Park for Fall 2022 and Spring/Summer 2023 for (3) Softball Teams
$18,500
For the People Taskforce Vehicle to store food for food drive program $25,000 Giving 365 Inc. Parkridge Community Food Pantry - Providing year-round support for on-site school food pantry
$25,000
Inland Vineyard Church Manna House Food Pantry - Serving disabled, elderly, single parents with children, any individual in the community in need of food
$20,000
Inspire Life Skills Training Inspiring Hope Programming - Serving former foster/homeless youth aged 18-25 who lack family support
$25,000
Karol Kares Nancy's Here Charitable
Organizations
Bulk personal hygiene products to supply to college students in need that are experiencing homelessness
$15,000
Peppermint Ridge Pilgrim Pines Summer Camp Enrichment for the Developmentally Disabled Community $25,000 Set the Captives Free Prison Ministry Diapers, Infant Formula, Milk, Wipes, Clothing for Babies, Children, Men, and Women who were formally incarcerated
$18,000
Streams of Living Water International
Ministry
Update equipment and software $10,000
The Leela Project Barbers and Backpacks - Providing health and wellness resources for families in need, backpacks, school supplies, and haircuts to kick off new school year for youths in Corona
$25,000
The Stephan Center (Corporate Name: The
Children's Preschool, Inc.)
Expansion of educational programs for professionals, direct services to youth/adults and web-based resources/referrals in language (Spanish)
$20,000
TOTAL: $468,300
Individual Requests
Programs varied greatly in purpose and scope, including: food distributions, improving galleries and teaching spaces, funding performances, and domestic violence programs. While some of the recommended programs serve a large group of residents or students, other programs serve relatively few, but are considered to be deeply impactful for those they serve. The following provides a brief program description for the twenty-three agencies that submitted an application:
ABC Hopes, Inc - Extra Innings Program: The Extra Innings program will aim to fill the gaps in high unemployment rates faced by intellectually disabled individuals. The Extra Innings implementation phase will include a summer-camp version of the core program, introducing the community to the program concept and beginning the enrollment process for they year-round services.
Christian Arts and Theatre (CAT) - Royalty/Rental costs for Major Stage Productions for 2022/2023:
The single greatest expense is securing and paying for royalty rights. Before advertising a show or City of Corona Page 3 of 9 Printed on 6/30/2022
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auditioning a cast and selling tickets, the payment for the rights to do the show is needed.
Circle City Chorale - Circle City Children’s Choir: The Circle City Chorale will utilize the funds toward their Circle City Children’s Choir to redesign and expand their children’s choir programming which includes elements of music education, proper vocal training, and performance technique.
Congregation Beth Shalom of Corona - Kristallnacht Educational Program for CNUSD Students: The Kristallnacht program commemorates the Holocaust of the Jewish people during WWII. Funds will go towards costs for advertising the program with CNUSD, the Corona Community, renting the building, transportation, food for the speakers, an honorarium, etc.
Corona Art Association - Updating and Improving Gallery and Teaching Space: The funds are intended to update the look and feel of the gallery space where the community can further develop their appreciation, study, and practice of the visual arts inside the Historic Civic Center.
Corona Friends Church - Food Distribution Program: The food distribution program was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is organized and facilitated by volunteers of the church. They have since partnered with CNUSD to promote the food program by providing free items for schoolaged children including school supplies, in addition to non-perishable foods provided on the first Saturday of the month.
Corona Historic Preservation Society - Historic Marker Program: Replace vandalized and demolished Historic Site Marker number 5, design, fund and place Historic Site Markers at Original City Hall location, Rudy Ramos Studio, Center of the Circle, Desi Arnaz Ranch, First Methodist Church, Site of Hotel Temescal, and restoration of Corona Historic District 10 wooden highway barricade.
Corona-Norco Family YMCA - YMCA Aquatic Programming and Swim Lessons: The goal of the aquatics program is to provide high quality programming for community members of all ages. The program will include scholarship options for program members who are unable to pay the full fees for aquatics programming.
Corona-Norco Settlement House - Repair and Maintenance of 507 S. Vicentia Ave.: The Settlement House building houses the office and food pantry. It is in need of repairs so that they can continue to provide services to the community. The funds would go to pest control Corona-Norco United Way - Domestic Violence Program: The primary goal of the Domestic Violence Program is to protect adults and children from their abuser, to provide direct services to support an abuse-free, financially independent, and sustainable lifestyle. It also provides domestic violence prevention education to teens and young adults so that abuse is prevented.
Covenant Life Christian Fellowship - Christmas Toy Giveaway: The Church hosts a Christmas Toy Giveaway Program where toys will be purchased to give to the children and families.
Crystal Roses, Inc. - Comfort Totes and “Man and Youth Packs”: Crystal Roses serves individuals with life-threatening illnesses, typically cancer, by providing Comfort Totes for women and “Man and youth packs.” These totes are filled with practical items to help patients navigate treatments and side City of Corona Page 4 of 9 Printed on 6/30/2022
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youth packs.” These totes are filled with practical items to help patients navigate treatments and side effects of their diagnosed disease.
Firecrackers Marez dba So Cal Rebels - Circle City Showcase Tournament: Funds from the CBO grant would be utilized towards the Circle City Showcase Tournament for June 2023 at Butterfield Park to promote their elite players to colleges, not only in California, but across the Country.
For the People Taskforce - Vehicle for Food-Drive Program: The organization is in need of a truck to utilize as they operate the food-drive program to offer fresh vegetables, meat, and dairy products needed by the community.
Giving 365 Inc. - Parkridge Community Food Pantry: The main focus of the program since March 2021 is to provide year-round support for Parkridge students and families through its implementation of an on-site school pantry. This partnership began in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic providing backpacks and school supplies.
Inland Vineyard Church - Manna House Food Pantry: The Church operates the Manna House Food Pantry on their campus, providing essentials like dried goods, fresh produce, dairy, and protein to those in need. The Manna House food pantry is open to the public every Saturday morning from 9:00AM - 10:00AM.
Inspire Life Skills Training - Inspiring Hope: Inspire serves former foster and homeless youth who are aged 18-25 who lack family support. Youth live in dorm-like settings in homes within the community at one of five service locations in Corona, Eastvale, and Riverside (the funding for this application would only go towards the two Corona locations).
Karol Kares Nancy’s Here Charitable Organizations - Bulk Personal Hygiene Products to Support Homeless College Students: Personal hygiene is often taken for granted. The funds from this grant will be used to purchase personal hygiene products in bulk to help multiple college students facing homelessness across the universities throughout Riverside County.
Peppermint Ridge - Social Recreation Activities at Pilgrim Pines Summer Camp: The grant will support 29 clients from the developmentally disabled community to allow them to partake in variety of social recreation activities at Pilgrim Pines Summer Camp. Pilgrim Pines helps clients express creatively and gets them actively involved with those within their community and outside of it.
Set The Captives Free Prison Ministry - Infant/Baby products for Families/Individuals Formally Incarcerated: The mission of the “Set The Captives Free Prison Ministry” is to assist the individuals and their families of those that are leaving the prison system with nothing. The grant funds will go towards diapers, formulas, milk, etc. for families and individuals that were formally incarcerated.
Streams of Living Water International Ministry - Update Equipment and Software: The funds will be used to update equipment and software for the Church.
The Leela Project - Barbers and Backpacks: The Barbers and Backpacks Block Party program is an event to provide health and wellness resources for families so that they are equipped with City of Corona Page 5 of 9 Printed on 6/30/2022
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event to provide health and wellness resources for families so that they are equipped with backpacks, school supplies, and haircuts to kick off the new school year for youth in Corona and surrounding underserved communities.
The Stephan Center (Corporate Name: The Children’s Preschool, Inc.) - Expansion of educational programs for professions, direct services to youth/adults, web-based resources/referrals, in Spanish:
The goal is to expand educational programs to professionals serving youth/families/seniors and direct services to residents who are experiencing trauma/grief.
Evaluation Process
Any requests that were beyond the scope of the ARPA guidelines are not recommended for approval.
Non-profit organizations that were not recommended for funding during this cycle were for the following reasons such as, requesting funds to be utilized towards religious purposes, programs that did not align with the City’s Strategic Plan or current needs, and/or did not serve the broader Corona student or resident populations. These groups will be contacted to notify them that they did not receive funding this cycle, should the City Council proceed with the staff recommendation. City staff will offer technical support prior to any possible future funding cycles so that they can be wellpositioned for future funding.
Proposals were evaluated based on following criteria:
· The number of Corona residents or students served
· How the proposed programs aligned with the City of Corona’s Strategic Plan and/or City Council priorities
· How well the program fit the current needs of the community After reviewing the (23) applications, (18) were deemed as meeting the criteria and so have been recommended for funding in Option 1.
Disqualified Applications
The programs that were submitted through the application process supported the community in various different aspects, however, any requests that were beyond the scope of the ARPA guidelines or the criteria of the application were not recommended for approval. However, staff is committed to working with these organizations to help them qualify for funding any potential future funging. If Option 1 is chosen, that funding would be realized in year two.
The applications that were not recommended for funding include:
Agency Name Program FY 2023 Request
Christian Arts and Theatre (CAT) Royalty/rental costs for major stage productions for 2022 and 2023 $25,000 Corona-Norco Family YMCA YMCA Aquatic Programming and Swim Lessons $25,000 Covenant Life Christian Fellowship Christmas Toy Giveaway Program $25,000 Firecrackers Marez dba So Cal Rebels Circle City Showcase Tournament for June 2023 at Butterfield Park for Fall 2022 and Spring/Summer 2023 for (3) Softball Teams
$18,500
Streams of Living Water International
Ministry
Update equipment and software $10,000
TOTAL: $103,500
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Corona-Norco Family YMCA YMCA Aquatic Programming and Swim Lessons $25,000 Covenant Life Christian Fellowship Christmas Toy Giveaway Program $25,000 Firecrackers Marez dba So Cal Rebels Circle City Showcase Tournament for June 2023 at Butterfield Park for Fall 2022 and Spring/Summer 2023 for (3) Softball Teams
$18,500
Streams of Living Water International
Ministry
Update equipment and software $10,000
TOTAL: $103,500
Christian Arts and Theatre (CAT) - Royalty/Rental costs for Major Stage Productions for 2022/2023:
The payment of royalty costs is not directly a service for this community. It is budget relieving for this organization, but it does not directly impact general Corona residents. While not necessarily a factor in the rating criteria, CAT did also receive rental assistance from ARPA funds as a resident non -profit at the Historic Civic Center.
Corona-Norco Family YMCA - YMCA Aquatic Programming and Swim Lessons: In conversations with the YMCA, the partnership for aquatics lessons is in its infancy. When the program was discussed, it was decided by both groups that other funding could be used in this first year to support YMCA swim lessons and as more data became available. Additionally, the City and the YMCA could partner in other grant opportunities.
Covenant Life Christian Fellowship - Christmas Toy Giveaway Program: The Christmas Toy Giveaway Program is a program that the City already offers through its Police Department during the holidays via the “Kids & Cops Holiday Magic” event, which includes a toy drive.
Firecrackers Marez dba So Cal Rebels - Circle City Showcase Tournament: The funds utilized from the grant would be utilized towards a specific elite group of youth softball players to compete competitively across the Country. It is not inclusive of all Corona youth.
Streams of Living Water International Ministry - Update Equipment and Software: The application was incomplete and the updating of the equipment and software would go towards religious purposes, which is a disqualifying criteria of ARPA funds.
CBO Funding Options
As approved by the City Council in February, the ARPA funding allocation was over a span of three years per the allocation schedule. However, as staff was reviewing the applications, it was clear that organizations were still struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Staff proposed these two options for the purposes of providing either a tiered option of disbursement of ARPA funding or providing an up-front, accelerated option so that the funds are received by the community-based organizations quicker, providing them the financial support immediately. The two options that are outlined in this staff report each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
OPTION 1: To ensure that all qualified requests are funded in an equitable manner, staff proposes that each qualified project be funded at 50% of their requested amount, with the exception of food pantry-related programs. The City received multiple food pantry-related requests. For those requests, staff proposes that each be funded at 40% of their requested amount. This approach of funding all qualified requests at a lower level is designed to maximize the number of qualified recipients rather than fund fewer projects at a higher funding level. This option will distribute $166,650 of grant funding to 18 organizations and retains the previously approved funding amount per cycle.
Pros: Provides a tiered approach of disbursement of grant funds; allows the City and the CBOs to City of Corona Page 7 of 9 Printed on 6/30/2022
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Pros: Provides a tiered approach of disbursement of grant funds; allows the City and the CBOs to have ongoing contact throughout the first year of the grant funding cycle, allowing staff to work closely with the CBOs and help them hone their ask in year two for the program. This also gives a compounding effect of potential support over multiple years, which allows them to slowly implement their programs and transition from their COVID-19 pandemic impact.
Cons: Some organizations do not qualify for funding; some programs cannot be fully implemented because they did not receive the full funding; and some programs will not take place. With the three year reimbursable allocation, some funds may be left over and the ARPA funds would not be used in their entirety.
OPTION 2: To ensure that all qualified requests are funded in an equitable manner, staff propose that each qualified project be funded at 100% of their requested amount up to a maximum of $25,000 per project. This option will fully fund all qualified projects by accelerating the distribution of the CBO funding through expending more than two years of funding within the first year. This option will distribute $374,500 of grant funding to 18 organizations by altering the previously approved funding amount per cycle.
Pros: all organizations will qualify for funding; all programs can be fully implemented with full funding; all programs will be able to take place. Funds organizations at a higher amount when they may need it the most for recovery.
Cons: Agencies may not be able to spend all the grant funds in one year, leaving a surplus for a second year; with the larger amount of money dispersed, the programs are only offered and available at a subsidized cost for one year. Additionally, the City cannot ask for specific components to be delivered as a part of multi-year funding.
Future Funding Cycles
If the Council selects option one, organizations that did not receive funding during this cycle for their programs and/or services will receive support from City staff to ensure that the organizations refine their scope of work and meet deadlines in order to qualify for future grant funding. Because the CBO grant is a reimbursable grant, organizations will incur expenses up front and the City will reimburse the organizations with proper documentation and reporting. Staff would hold a CBO Grant Funding Program workshop prior to the next funding cycle to invite community non-profit organizations to learn about restrictions on the Federal ARPA funds, how to strengthen their applications, proper reporting standards to get reimbursed, and more tools to assist them through the CBO Grant Funding application process and implementation.
If the Council selects option two, staff will work alongside the CBOs in the grant year to ensure the best outcomes for Corona residents with a specific focus on outreach and marketing since programs will be limited to a one-year subsidy.
Either option may have leftover funding because the organizations were unable to spend their full grant amount in the year their funds were allocated. As such, it may be possible to have excess dollars available even after all the money has been awarded. If that is the case with either option City of Corona Page 8 of 9 Printed on 6/30/2022
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dollars available even after all the money has been awarded. If that is the case with either option one or option two, staff will bring back the excess dollar amount to Council with recommendations for its distribution.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds were allocated in November 2021. Funding for the recommended action is available in the Capital Improvement Project No. 76770 titled Community Based Organization Grant Program within the American Rescue Plan Act Fund 413. The Project has an available balance of $500,000, which is sufficient for the recommended action. The City Council approved the Community Based Organization (CBO) Grant Funding Program on February 16, 2022.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The Community Based Grant Program provides funding to organizations to support their operations and will have no significant impact on the environment.
Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: VIOLA VAN, MANAGEMENT ANALYST II
REVIEWED BY: ANNE K. TURNER, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Fiscal Year 2023 Community Based Organizations (CBO) Grant Program Funding Recommendations
2. Exhibit 2 - CBO Grant Funding Rating Rubric
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